Purchased a glassfibre hull for this vessel from "Models by Design" and brought it back to Canada from the UK. The hull moulding requires minor rework, but nothing unexpected, I am happy with the product (photo # 1).
Whilst the hull is sold for the Bulldog, I am building her sister-ship, the Beagle.
First part of project (after checking dimensions and hull form) was to make up a framework (photo # 2) which has been glued into hull (photo # 3). The frame is to add stiffness, give some separation of "compartments" and to create a structure onto which the drive and electrical components can fitted.

After much measuring and adjustment finally epoxied the bulkhead structure into hull. Have established that although the port bulwarks are the correct height and shape, the starboard are have been cut slightly too low at the stern ends. Built these up to correct height with plywood and reinforced with glass fibre.
Would be ideal if manufacturers of preformed hulls left them slightly oversize, so the modeler can cut down to size. Much easier that adding slivers of plywood.
Have now also fitted bilge keels and propeller shafts.

Continued with hull by adding portholes and anchor boxes. Starting on deck and have decided to take a slightly different approach.
I would like to retain as much access to the hull interior as I can so will make up the deck from two pieces, a "skirt" about 1" wide that will contain the bulwark stanchions and waterways. Onto this will add a detachable deck, which will be planked. The superstructure will also be removable for routine access, but if full access is needed the deck can be removed.

Started work on the foredeck area.
Added the deck wash port slots by making an alloy template and then drilling and filing to the template dimensions.
Also added the the fairleads. Made these out of sections of a plastic syringe body, cut to length and hot swaged over a leather hole hunch to give a tapered appearance. Drilled and filed the holes in the bulwark oval and the epoxied the fairleads into position.
Built the outside of the hull up with epoxy and the filed it to the correct shape and protrusion.
The same technique was used on the bull lead, but with styrene tubing as the hole is bigger. Sleeved the tubing with more styrene and filed to produce the profile.

Whilst there is still access to the "engine" areas decided to finalize the motor mounts. The attached picture shows the process. I concentrate on getting the alignment correct, so this takes quite some
As you can see replaced the flexible HUCO style joint with styrene rod cut to the same length. The brass couplings are inserted into the ends of the rod so the alignment is maintained.
The motors were mounted on a short bulkhead which was initially tacked into the hull. Once the alignment was established the bulkhead was epoxied in place and the dummy sleeves removed.
A small rubber block was inserted lightly into the gap between the motor casing and hull to relieved the weight on the bulkhead.

The hull is nearing completion; added the capping strips to the bulwarks, made roller fairleads and generally tidied up the hull. Next comes the making the removable deck onto which the planking will be fitted.

Guess spoke to soon! Needed to add portholes whilst easy interior access was still available. Decided to make them out of 5/16" o.d. styrene tube for the outer frame and a 1/4" acrylic rod insert to resemble the glass. Cut them up from the lengths of rod using a pipe cutter.
Epoxied the outer frame into holes drilled into the hull and filled any gaps up with epoxy. Have left the glasses out until the painting is complete. The cut acrylic rod surfaces do require polishing to remove the cutting marks.
After completing this installation, tidied all the loose ends up, now onto the removable decking.

Fitted the under deck in two sections, forward and stern. Whilst this does not take long to describe, it requires very careful measurement and cutting to ensure a good fit.
Made up the rudders. These were made from styrene sheet, heated and bent double around a brass rod. The rudder shaft was inserted in the correct location and then CA glued into place.
Glued the open halves of the sheet together and trimmed to final dimensions. Filled cavity surrounding shaft with epoxy adhesive.
Once set, filed excess off and the rudders were complete with a correct section and shape.
Rudders primed and painted.
The rudder shaft tubes had previously been installed into a wooden block glued in the hull to provide a rigid mounting.

With still unrestricted access to the bottom of the hull, decided it was time to install the main electrical system.
Mounted this above the motors on a styrene base and used terminal posts so the various connections could be fitted and removed easily.
2 x Viper ESCs and a Planet 2.4g Rx were fitted.
Have not confirmed the final SLA battery locations until the ballast checks have been completed.
The original plan was to use 12 volts, but have been recommended to reduce to 6 to give a more realistic water speed.
The picture also shows the top of a water ingress monitor and an adjustable voltage regulator. Fitted this so the voltage to the radar scanner and LEDs could be refined.
Used a relay on the switch circuit so a small control switch could be fitted.
The rudder linkage is fairly standard as can be seen.
Tested and everything works as hoped.

Working through the many finishing touches to the hull, but it is essentially complete. Even got the first coats of paint on! The pre-paint preparation was quite quick as the hull moulding was well finished.
Obtained the deck planking; this is laser cut basswood with an uncut portion at the end of each sheet to aid installation. Have now started planking, this uncut portion does hold the strips in alignment and appears to help gluing them down straight.
As this process is likely to take some time, with not very evident progress, may not be writing further updates until this milestone is complete.

Finished the deck planking and, as my first attempt, think it has turned out quite well. As was written in a recent article this is quite a satisfying process.
The precut linked, planking saves time when the shapes are fairly consistent (such as the rear deck)but is of little help when the planks need to be fitted carefully, particularly when they have to be joggled into the margin plank.
The hull is now almost complete, sans deck detail, but am going to move onto building the superstructure after Christmas.

Virtually finished the hull by adding depth markings, boot topping and the final coats of clear satin spray. All that remains are the deck fitting details, which will be added as final finishing touches.
Started on the superstructure and have nearly done the lower level structure. As this will be removable have added wooden reinforcements to give more strength and bending resistance. Have never done this before and it may prove to be unnecessary, so appreciate comments. Felt it was much easier to do this now, rather than once complete and find it then flexs and cracks at the lakeside
Going through my usual head-scratching to decide the best way of holding the superstructure down with hidden fasteners.

Have finished the hull and the superstructure shell. The superstructure was straight forward, built using styrene sheets and reinforcements as seemed necessary.
Decided to use the wooden reinforcement frame referred to earlier as location for a "hold down" bolt to retain the structure on the hull. This pulls the superstructure down onto the deck giving both retention and sealing.
Plan to slide the funnel over the exposed bolt thread so it is hidden.
Have various hull tasks outstanding; some minor electrical work, trial ballast, window glazing etc. They should be covered in my next blog.
The hull and superstructure deck planking proved a satisfying and interesting process.

Finished the wiring, major ballasting and superstructure, but without finishing details. Will do final trim ballasting on open water; my indoor test tank is too small for a 48" long model!
Have decided to work on the mast next. The second picture shows a joint at the rear of the deckhouse roof. Originally thought it would be ideal if the whole wheelhouse could be made removable, but could not hide the front joint very well and decided this would be a better approach. The wheelhouse is thus now fastened to the lower superstructure.
Through the removable roof section access to the interior light and the radar scanner motor can be gained. The second picture also shows the motor driveshaft extending upwards through the roof. Plan is to extend the shaft up to the platform on which the scanner sits and then use gears from an old clock to offset the drive forward and position the scanner in the correct location.

Spent the last week working on the mainmast.
Purchased a slow speed 12v motor to make the radar scanner operable. Also wanted to make the mast removable to reduce possible transport damage. By pulling gently upwards the mast and driveshaft pinion can be disengaged and the mast lifted off the model.
Attached is a picture of the motor and integral gearbox. This was mounted upside down to the wheelhouse internal roof with the driveshaft poking through and pointing upwards (see last bog for a picture).
The internal mast tube slipped snugly onto gearbox output shaft sleeve. The output shaft was extended up to the mast radar platform level using a length of brass tube with a small pinion gear fitted into the end.
Used two idler gears from an old clock (which also provided the input shaft and radar shaft pinions) to link the input pinion to the scanner shaft pinion. This geartrain provided the correct offset for the scanner mounting shaft.
The platform was made from styrene with brass bushes fitted to act as bearings for the pinions and idler gears. Unfortunately the platform is deeper than shown on the drawings, but it does not look out of place and is an appropriate place to use "modellers licence". This approach avoided having the scanner motor slung under the platform and visible.
The upper part of the mast was made from brass and functioning navigation lights added.
Still a lot of mast detail to add, but the major structure is now complete and everything works!

Finished the funnel and engine room cover, so hull and superstructure are now structurally complete. This has taken 5 months, very much assisted by being retired; had it been done during more usual leisure hours would have taken considerably longer. The Canadian winter has also helped by reducing the outside distractions.
Now moving onto the many detail fittings this model abounds with so milestones will be further apart so expect my blog entries to be more sporadic.

Sorry, uploaded wrong photos, these are the correct one. Apologies

Had the opportunity to do a trail ballast run. As a result, made some modifications and added weight.
To get almost down to the lower boot topping line, a total ballast weight of 5 lbs is needed. This is made up of about 2 lbs of lead dispersed from the bow to the first bulkhead, (approx 7" sternwards) and then two 6v SLA batteries (1 3/4" lbs ea), the first located just forward of the superstructure and the second just to the rear.
This gives a fairly good trim, further trim ballast will be required when all the deck fittings are added. Both batteries are now laid flat to reduce the C of G and improve stability.

The vessel is wired with both 6 volt batteries in series to give 12 v. Had been warned that at 12 volts the model is overpowered, which can now confirm.
Unfortunately 12 volts is needed for the radar scanner and lights. Have thus ordered a voltage reducer so the motor voltage can be adjusted to something in the 6 volt range.

Back now to building deck furniture and making the many finishing touches

Finished the fore and stern decks.
Most of the fittings are either scratch built, with some from a couple of specialist epoxy cast item suppliers.
The plans and ship pictures enabled the fore deck to be made quite accurately. That is not the case with the stern as the plans, pictures of other models and actual vessels show several differences. Ended up using Modelers license to arrive at a layout which seems representative of the class.
The only approach that could be considered out of the ordinary was the Land Rover installation.
Made up a mounting plate as no self respecting RN crew could live with the oil pools on the decking! This is held down with a female jack-plug socket which can be used to charge the batteries. The corresponding male jack-plug is fitted to the underside of the Land Rover so the vehicle can be fitted onto the plate and held in place.
The picture also shows a screw fitting where one of the deck derricks, which are held down with magnets, is located. This screw also holds down the removable deck.
Now moving onto the centre superstructure. One of the opportunities presented is the 28'6" survey boat, which is similar to an Admirals barge. Does anybody know where I can get plans for this? 1:48 scale would be ideal, although can scale if necessary.

Thanks Dave and to the others who have responded.
The steam picket boat you sent looks to be twin screw and a longer vessel than the survey boat / barge I am looking for. Have attached a picture showing the plan side view, does anybody have anything on these lines?

Have be working on the upperworks detail and now the model is almost complete. That is, if a model is ever really finished!
All was fairly straightforward with few items being bought, most were made up from bits and pieces, usually scrap wood or styrene.
The only real challenge was the Admirals Barge, which is complicated by the lack of drawings. Many members helped with information (Thanks again) and from that, along with details in the Ship Modelers handbook, was able the create a fair facsimile. The barge is almost a project in its own right!
Hope to give her a maiden sail later this week and will post any pictures.
In summary, have spent over 7 months on the model fitting out the "Models by Design" hull. Should have counted the hours, as there were many. The miserable winter and Spring in this part of Canada allowed a much quicker build than expected.

Took her for the maiden voyage today in windy conditions. Wind was Force 3 gusting 4, making large waves but with little swell as the pond is quite small.
My two colleagues decided it was too windy to sail their vessels!
Anyway, in the circumstances she sailed well and without water ingress; although with the rolling trace water was found on the lower deck. This had come through the mid hull freeing ports.
The ballast and batteries sit close to the base of the hull so the model is tender, which exaggerates the motion. The side area of the superstructure is also comparatively large making the vessel is susceptible to wind effects, which add to the rolling and pitching. This causes the upwind propeller and rudder to loose "bite" in the water, making control difficult.
The waterline looked fine, but have now moved the rear battery sternwards by about 4" to lower the stern and improve purchase.
Unfortunately have no photographs, the official photographer had forgotten his camera!
Hope to try the effect of the battery reposition shortly and plan to post pictures with the concluding blog.

The maiden voyage - 2.
She sails well, as you can see. I used a 12v system so the lights and radar scanner work. The model is overpowered and, once my large voltage reducer arrives from China, will dial back to around 6v as was recommended by another modeler.
The excess power causes a rapid and exaggerated response to a sudden control movement, which induces a heel. The screw on the inside of the heel lifts, so it splashes and then cavitates.
Every control movement needs to be very gentle to avoid this. This can be controlled on the RC, but it is not forgiving for a casual user.
Still making trim ballast adjustments. Although it looks OK, you cannot see the weights perched on the rear deck! They need to be integrated into the hull ballast.
I am not expecting to write further blogs as should be little else to report.
In summary, a great model to build. The results justify the hours of work that have gone into her. A very enjoyable project and a worthy addition to anybodies fleet.

Decided to write a follow up entry.
Added more ballast to stern to fully submerge rudder blades and converted to 6V, as voltage reducer had not been received.
The result of these two changes makes the model as I had hoped. She is nicely controllable and tolerant of inadvertent control movements.
Looks very nice on water as can be seen.
Fitted with 2 x 6V SLA cells in parallel and they give over 2 hours of sailing time.
In summary, a very satisfying project, one to enjoy all Summer - now onto the next!